The biggest problem with the success of the Obama-Biden ticket is that it infuriates Republicans. Everytime Obama or Biden demonstrate their competence, intelligence and credentials some new slew of attack ads emerge. The worse part of these attack ads is that they prey on a citizenry's deepest fears and emotionally manipulate people using very sophisticated psychological principles and techniques.
Get ready to feel frightened, hurt and vulnerable. You will notice that some ads will make Obama look darker and more menacing. Biden will be made to seem hypocritical and untrustworthy, or rambly and pompous. There will be an attempt to make activism seem bad, wrong and un-American. Be prepared for distortions of history and of association. Especially keep an eye out for Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and Rezko. Remember that these ads are designed to link our passion for Obama to something dangerous and un-American. This is because the people's embrace of Obama-Biden is a rousing endorsement of democracy. Such populism is a direct challenge to the non-consultative authority that Bush-Cheny have made synonymous with the Republican party.
Remember this: Every attempt to cast Sarah Palin as main street or Joe six-pack and you as something else is a divisive manuveur. Every attempt to frame Obama as dark, or black, or foreign or muslim is a challenge to the civil rights that founded and unite this great country. Every criticism of education, experience, and intellect is a blatant attempt to undercut what enables us to reach the ideals of liberty and freedom. The Republicans will try to create the illusion that there is an us versus them. The idea of an us versus them is what helps dictators, and other rulers dominate populations.
We are a democracy, and this is a government of citizens. Trust your instincts, your intellect, and your own sense of right and wrong. Don't let yourself be manipulated. We are all vulnerable to these feelings . . . but we are all also underestimated. Every person brings the gift of their mind to their lived lives when given the opportunity. Whether or not you are from Harvard, or Howard, or Hometown USA - you have a mind that is alive and active and very capable of recognizing truth. No one should even attempt doubt the agency of the American mind and spirit. The citizens of this country - including me - are not apathetic or incompetent. We are bitter (and I do mean bitter), disappointed and angry about the condescending leadership and abuse of citizenry practiced by the current administration.
Counter the attack ads with the naturally ocurring love, competence and humanity of our minds and hearts!
Comments welcome..."GOD DAMN AMERICA!"Is Wright's comment REALLY un-American? Read on...Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. [Genesis 18:20]Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel" [Ezekiel 21:2]This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished;it is filled with oppression. [Jeremiah 6:6]Sound Familiar?Here's a similar quote from Rev. Jeremiah Wright (yes, I bolded his first name on purpose to make a point):“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no,no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”I've been hearing so much back and forth about this, I wanted to bring in a fresh perspective...Let's take a quick look at the above statement... Isn't it fair, for a Christian pastor, to ask God to avenge the blood of an oppressed people? Isn't it fair for someone who prays, to ask God to repay those who have put themselves in the place of God? Yep.... it's totally fair... AND Biblical... (the Bible verses above are just a tiny sampling of how the Bible addresses these issues).Wright is a pastor, and he thinks in terms of Biblical Law... in fact, he would be sold on the idea that the United States is a "christian" nation, and as such, is "supposed" to be "godly."If the United States, claiming to be a "christian" nation, instead becomes an "ungodly" nation, it is totally normal for a Christian leader to ask God to repay their infidelity to God... (it's everywhere they look in the Bible).Wright isn't saying: "go out and take over the country," which is what the Declaration of Independence says is the prescription when "any government becomes destructive of these ends," (speaking of the right to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness), Wright is saying "God damn America." Wright is calling on God to NOT bless the country "as long as" she is guilty of the things outlined in red above... he's not declaring a holy war, nor advocating one... he's not saying he "hates America." He, like his namesake, Jeremiah of the Bible, is asking God to judge and chastise America for her wanderings from the Godly ways... Like his namesake Jeremiah, he's asking God to remember the sins of a so-called "christian" nation and hold her accountable for her hypocrasy... He's a man of God, calling on God to repay America for the three things mentioned above (highlighted in red). Jeremiah was an Israelite... he was a prophet of Israel... he LOVED Israel SO MUCH, that he prayed for God to chastise her... and so did Isaiah, and so did Ezekiel... and MANY of the Israelite prophets... in times of hypocrasy and backsliding, the men of God of the Bible, called on God to chastise... to "repay." This would be something TOTALLY natural for Wright to say, as a christian pastor... especially one who tells the truth from the Bible... here's the list again:1. Killing innocent people (which the US government has done. It's called "collateral damage.")
2. For treating our citizens as less than human (which still occurs in many forms)
3. As long as she (America) acts like she is God and she is supreme.What we have to ask is: "What does 'God damn America' mean?"What is Wright asking God for here? The evidence is in the term "as long as." Wright is saying, "as long as" America continues to act in the listed ways, I'm asking God to "not bless America." Why? Because America doesn't deserve a blessing from God "as long as" she continues to behave in the manner listed above... not under those circumstances... and the opposite of "God bless America" is, "God damn America." Of course, Wright COULD have said: "God don't bless America as long as she behaves this way," but he chose the more dramatic form of the statement.Wright is basically saying: "God, teach America a lesson... teach her NOT to do the things she's doing... He's not saying: "I HATE America".. "He's saying: "I LOVE America so much... and what America is supposed to be, that I am asking God to NOT bless her... to force her to wake up from her hypocracy and repent... this is the job of the Pastor... to call his people to REPENT... and to ask God to bring that repentence about, for the good of America... this is a pastor's love for a country, enough that he would call upon God to "damn" her "as long as" her behavior deviates from her "godly" calling...Now ask yourself: "Should I ask God to bless a country that does the three things listed above?" Should I ask God to bless the leaders of Darfur, or Damn them?" "Should I ask God to bless those who engage in ethnic cleansing, or should I ask God to Damn them?" As a man of God, who follows the Bible, and the laws of God...When I read Wright's words, with the understanding of the Israelite prophets that I have, I don't see a man who "hates" America... I see a man who loves "the idea" of "the true" America so much, that he would ask God to punish her "as long as" she commits her backsliding atrocities against his creatures...Finally, the converse of what Wright is saying is: "When America DOES finally awaken, and live our her creed, then and ONLY then, will 'God bless America.'"
Hello,
We need NOT to forget about supporting Israel during these most critical times! She is the USA's most and ONLY true friend in these critical times!!! On the other hand, we are Israel's one and ONLY true friend in the world right now! With the growing threat of Iran, amongst other terrorist organizations, we must support our closest ally! God has destroyed every civilization throughout history that has tried to dispose of his people (Israel), throughout time. We need to take EVERY threat seriously (ie: Mahmoud, President of Iran) when they say they wish to destroy and murder Israel and her allies (us the USA), from the map!!! We need only to look back in the 1930's Germany when Hitler was using the SAME propaganda!!!
The Bible commands us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), to speak out for Zion’s sake (Isaiah 62:1), to be watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:6) and to bless the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3). These and so many other erses of the Bible that have one overriding message-- as Christians we have a Biblical obligation to defend Israel and the Jewish people in their time of need.
Israel’s time of need is now. There is a new Hitler in the Middle East --President Ahmadinejad of Iran -- who has threatened to wipe out Israel and America and is rapidly acquiring the nuclear technology to make good on his threat. If we learned anything from the Holocaust, it is that when a madman threatens genocide we must take him seriously.
During the Holocaust, too many Christians were silent, and we were left to mourn the slaughter of 6 million Jews. Today, Bible-believing Christians must speak up and stand up for Israel. We must act to do whatever we can to protect Israel’s 6 million Jews from the second Holocaust. We must get it right this time. Our faith demands it. The times require it. Silence is not an option.
CAN WE CALL AMERICANS RACIST
AND STILL EXPECT TO GET THEIR VOTE?
Michelle Obama made a simple statement-- "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of this country"–and one would have thought she declared a jihad on America. FOX news, Rush Limbaugh, and the various other Republican conduits have been harping on it for months now, trying to convince the American people that she’s hated America all of her life. But the fact is, when Michelle Obama made the above statement she was actually complimenting America.
Conservatives are representing her statement as though she said, "For the first time in my adult lifetime I am proud of my country." That implies that she has never been proud of her country before. But that is not what she said at all. She said, "For the first in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." When she used the word "really" as a modifier to the word "proud" it means that she is "exceptionally" or "more proud" of her country than she’s ever been before.
It may just be an unintended consequence of the historic trend eroding the traditional respect for the First Amendment's establishment clause. Or are we being treated to what is just another installment of the series known as "Clergy-Gone-Wild"? Does anyone else find the role played by men-of-the-cloth (and I would include women, though they seem to be having a hard time breaking the glass "celestial" ceiling) in modern political life entirely inappropriate? Or am I alone in this?
So after suffering through the distractions this year of Wright, Hagee, Parsley and Pfleger, may I propose an ancient spiritual remedy: The Vow of Silence!
[Original posted on www.onemillionstrong.us on May 30, 2008]
Bush, fellow Methodists don't all see eye to eye
George W. Bush and Rutherford B. Hayes are linked by a historical oddity - each lost the popular vote, yet won the presidency after a contested dispute over balloting in Florida.
But Mr. Bush and Hayes have something else in common: Methodism.
When Mr. Bush is inaugurated next month, he will become the third Methodist to assume the nation's highest office. The other was William McKinley, most often remembered for being assassinated.
You might think the election of another Methodist would be a source of pride for the United Methodist Church.
But in a remarkable display of candor, the United Methodist News Service instead detailed the president-elect's political differences with the denomination, even pointing out that Mr. Bush's political views have often been compared to those of a rival denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention.
"Having a United Methodist in office does not mean the president's policies will reflect those of the church," said the statement from the United Methodist News Service.
The Methodists officially oppose capital punishment and handgun ownership; Mr. Bush supports both. And the list of disagreements goes on: abortion rights, gays in the military, school vouchers, even Social Security policy.
"United Methodists are extremely diverse, and there would be some who would take a great deal of pride [in Mr. Bush's presidency], and some who would be concerned about some of his stands," said Bishop Susan W. Hassinger, the church's top official in New England.
"I'm pleased that there is a United Methodist in the White House, but I would hope he would be a person who listens to all perspectives and I trust he will be faithful to God ... with concern for the marginalized and the poor."
The United Methodists, with 8.4 million members, are the second-largest Protestant denomination, after the Southern Baptist Convention. The denomination is strongest in the southeast; in New England, a region with 13.5 million residents, the church has just 111,000 members.
Though he was raised in Presbyterian and Episcopalian churches, Mr. Bush has been an active Methodist since quitting alcohol and finding God in 1985; he and his wife have taught Sunday school at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, and since taking office as governor of Texas Bush has worshiped at the Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin.
Mr. Bush has frequently spoken about religion in terms rarely associated with members of mainline Protestant denominations in New England: He says he was born again after talking to Billy Graham, he has named Jesus as his favorite political philosopher and has questioned whether non-Christians can go to heaven. But such talk would be quite familiar to Methodists in Texas and other parts of the south, church officials say.
Mr. Bush's election comes as Methodists are enjoying something of a resurgence among the powerful.
The Clintons have frequently worshiped at a Methodist church in Washington. Senator-elect Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Methodist; President Clinton is a Southern Baptist.
Vice President-elect Dick Cheney is also a Methodist, although the United Methodist News Service said Mr. Cheney refused to answer its questions.
The Rev. Robert W. Thornburg, dean of Marsh Chapel at the Methodist-founded Boston University, said the emphasis on diversity among United Methodists masks a deep division. He predicts that Mr. Bush won't worship at the same Washington church as the Clintons because of concern over the supposed theological liberalism of its pastor.
"The denomination has a serious split in identity between a more liberal clergy and a more conservative laity," Mr. Thornburg said. "Acknowledging the diversity is not particularly courageous - it's realistic. There is a serious identity problem in the denomination as a whole."
The religious affiliation of U.S. presidents is one of the preoccupations of presidential trivia buffs, and the Web site adherents.com has compiled a variety of statistics about the subject. Some highlights:
• The most frequent presidential denomination has been Episcopalian (11 presidents), followed by Presbyterian (6).
• Every president but one (the Catholic John F. Kennedy) has been Protestant.
• The most over-represented groups in the presidency, based on their percentage of the U.S. population, have been the Dutch Reformed Church and Unitarians.
• The most under-represented: Catholics and Baptists.
• Several major groups have never held the presidency: Jews, Mormons, Pentecostals, Muslims, Orthodox Christians.
• Only three presidents did not claimed religious affiliation: Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Jackson.
Distributed by New York Times News Service
The "black evangelicals" (who tend to be more 'prosperous' - or at least have more prosperous preachers living in million-dollar mansions - than most other blacks in America) tend also to wander over to the Republican state to rub elbows with those they most admire.
Black churches dropped the ball on the Civil Rights Movement for fear of losing their tax exemption for being involved in political affairs. Those laws were made to put a hole in the possibility of another Civil Rights Movement from the only place where black people had power -- the church.
Today's so-called "men of God" sell cheesy Bible talk in order to sell the prosperity gospel in the form of CDs and DVDs and tapes, because tax laws now say that churches that get "too political" can lose their tax exemption, without which they cannot survive.
So the black church, which was the only stance from which blacks could lobby effectively and get anything substantial done in society, was watered down to a two-bit Sunday morning nightclub with no real message or power that is helping the black community or even doing the world any good any more. In effect, they have watered down Dr. King's fight toward equality and justice, which was never truly achieved though some progress has, arguably, been made.
Black ministers have preached dissension against American racism from the pulpit since the early 1600-1900s, and it is the rhetoric of those churches who are still fighting that racism that still preach against it to this day. Maybe the media "soundbiters" were paying too much attention to Jeremiah Wright and not enough to those blacks in the background who gave the right Reverend thunderous applause, accolades, standing ovations, and pats on the back during his so-called "racist tirade." (Though I still have never figured out how a man who fights against racism can be called a racist for doing so.)
Perhaps "the other" 90-something percent of blacks in America are the ones the media should be paying attention to. America's problems with black America aren't going to come from Rev. Wright or from Barack Obama, they're going to come directly from the community that is largely being overlooked -- again.
For every sermon a black evangelical preaches that doesn't address American racism properly, another thousand crimes are committed against blacks, and by blacks who are frustrated and fed up with a system that didn't dissipate, but merely redressed and cleaned up its act, for a more kinder and gentler and milder form of assault against the black communities.
May God have mercy on their everlasting souls for deserting the work Dr. King started that still remains to be done, and for selling their birthright in exchange for pottage.
Why Still Canvassing for Obama in North Carolina?
Charlotte, North Carolina May 2nd 2008 – Even after a double-digit loss for Obama in Pennsylvanian primaries, I decided still to head back on the road to work for his campaign and to get out the vote in the remaining contests. I flew in from Washington DC to Charlotte NC, on weekends of April 28th and May 3rd for a final push; this was about 3 days before the crucial North Carolina and Indiana May 6th primaries.
Canvassing for Obama, listening to FOX NEWS radio...
During the first week, I worked under enormous pressure as I canvassed in the streets of the city of Charlotte; in places like Albermarle Rd, Central Ave and Sharon Amity Areas. I remember listening to Fox News (very popular radio on the Carolinians’ waves) while it run tirelessly its daily “breaking news” at every other top of the hour: “The Rev. Jeremiah Wright appearance at the DC’s National Press Club”. Wow… I had to hear that unpleasant propaganda and still be encouraged in my rental car around. I definitely was embedded with hope that I can convince and to talk to voters about Senator Barack Obama in spite of what I know they might have heard before I got to their door steps.
How in the world a press organization can go that low, making a non-political figure’s speech a campaign trail’s headline and even more a daily “every top of the hour” breaking news for the entire day. Fox News gave that Wright’s appearance in DC the same amount of attention they gave with a media frenzy to Paris Hilton Arrest’s episode or the Anna Nicole Court’s Case … Even more, Fox wanted us to believe that the Rev. Wright’s conference was all they had to cover for the day.
Well, Senator Barack Obama and the campaign made it clear, thank God, that moving forward, that although him being his former pastor at the Trinity Church of Christ, Jeremiah. Wright’s relationship to the candidate won’t be the same and that he does not speak for our campaign nor does he represent the Senator’s views. That weekend’s trip in Charlotte NC was my biggest challenge in my entire canvassing experience for Barack Obama. Keep in mind here that I have been in the cold streets of Candia, Manchester, Nashua, NH; I organized and called volunteers and voters in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhoods; I planted yard signs along streets in Virginia and helped register thousands on the Virginia Primary Baloot for Obama; I took a high attitude and poised look while talking, at their door steps, to resilient Texans, even those who say to me they will never vote for a black man. Driving around the streets of Charlotte for a door-to-door visit to voters seemed hard because I personally had to hear the whole Jeremiah Wright’s live-speech and a bogus post-speech news commentator’s analysis that went on for the day.
What do North Carolinians know about this 2008 election?
Yet, North Carolinians seem, from my talks with many, to be more thoughtful than the right-wing media pundits suggest and were more leaning towards Senator Obama than the Clintons have calculated. In every household, there is this belief that it’s time for North Carolinians to exercise their judgment in voting after many early contests took place (41 already). They are concerned about the Economy (particularly the gas price and the unemployment); they are looking for a government that John Edwards promised some of them to fight for. Can Obama carry the fight on poverty they so much believed the Senator from Chapel Hill with? In any case it seems to be just an Obama’s fight now. Many voters I talked to are doubtful about the Clintons’ message regarding fighting for the working men and women…for fighting poverty in America; also most voters lost trust in them given their deceiving showing for the last 2 months (Bill and Hillary) on the campaign trail.
There is that lack of discipline among the Clintons’ surrogates that seem to bother most voters here in NC; their choices to use negative ads against their party’s fellows to bait voters on TV, their SNL show’s characterization and their many evening TV appearances before the primaries were not well welcomed by southern voters here, although seen as a fair game by the media.
The long fight between Democrats has become a disservice to the American People. Voters are also very critical of the lies they heard (the Hillary landing in Bosnia under sniper attacks) and promises made in order to pander to voters (gas tax from summer to labor day) in order to win an election. In deed, Hillary Clinton has poorly sold that ineffective idea to the voters while the Washington Post was reporting last week that “this gas tax would save to an average American household only 18$ of their pocket money, according to a study made by an independent organization on the proposal. Republican John McCain who inspired Clinton on his first vocal economic idea of the 2008 decision, cannot at this time be counted as that so-called “Maverick” people got used to see from the 2000 elections; he has given many voters many reasons to believe he cannot deliver on those economic solutions given the stakes.
He and Hillary have launched the proposal to continue gaining terrain after they unfairly attacked Obama about his former pastor’s comments (not his) and mischaracterized what he said about voters who are frustrated with their government’s business dealings. So, calling the straight talk bus rider a maverick in 2008 is like comparing the so-aligned with the distrust that the American people have towards their government to a fresh face senator who can still pull in a 35 thousands people’s rally in Philadelphia on a night while trailing in the polls, and it is like ignoring what the libertarian and registered-republican candidate Ron Paul has to offer as far as patriotism, suppression of big government and his anti-war sentiments as to compare them to a John McCain’s line of speech on Iraq and his so-out of touch views of our economy.
I have made these costly trips to Charlotte NC, knowing and still believing that we will prevail, even if the status quo will continue to resist. I still see as many other Obama canvassers I met there from SC, Georgia and Texas and the wonderful staff at the Elizabeth Ave/ Hawthorne Office: Santiago or Molly… that we can deliver a victory all the way to the democratic nomination. From my past experience with the Obama Camp, I would challenge those supporters who feel like giving up on this journey. I have got one thing to say: I have canvassed for a half-year in the cold and icy streets of New Hampshire and I’ve organized voters in high-crime quarters and corners of Metro stations in Boston Massachusetts; I have planted lawn signs along local streets and have supported in Virginia and collected petition’s signatures for Obama. 30 thousands signatures were needed for to put the canditate’s name on the Virginia ballot; I also canvassed in Arlington and Fort-Worth, Texas.
During all these episodes, I have always in mind that if we can win a state primary or a state caucus, it is not just because of the candidate’s message but because of the hard work we can as campaign staffers and volunteers put forth at the grassroots level. That civic engagement alone has been effective and powerful in convincing the undecided voters. So, I say to these fellow supporters, hold your head up, suit your gear back up and run; continue the fight!
We are in fact the backbone of this campaign; a movement that enlists Americans who are determined to see change in the ways our politics affects our citizenry. We are citizens who want to challenge the status quo in place in Washington DC and in our home states leadership. By the status-quo I also mean: people (voters) who will always wait until the last minute hoping to be helped (the old school way) in their choice for a candidate: The old school way suggests that a campaign was properly laid out on the issues, voters ought to be fed with some last minute negative ad; people who do not vote based on sound judgment, facts and candidate’s profile, but by name recognition, who are proud to be fanatics or who vote for a contender based on age group, racial or gender preferences…. The only way to win against the political establishment represented by Hillary Clinton and John McCain is to go after them with a coalition of voters (all racial backgrounds) like we have been doing since the beginning in Iowa and New Hampshire. The reason why people campaign and vote for Obama is not because somehow America now wants a black candidate as a symbol of change…
Our Movement is not about color or gender, It's the American Deal for Generations
The reason I met a bunch of Irish-Americans in New England, campaigning with me for Obama, the reason why 85% of the staff and volunteers at the Manchester NH Office were Whites; the reason why we won states with working class citizens like Wisconsin, Virginia, Maryland, Washington State by big margins; the reason why we conquered many other majority-white states like Utah, Nebraska, Idaho, North Dakota versus states with whites-blacks demographic splits like Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama or New Orleans… The reason why we won states with urban, suburban and rural working class population like Illinois, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware is because Americans want a new face in the oval office to set the country in a new direction. The reason why we delivered states with large percentages of anti-war activists like Vermont, Minnesota, Maine… and Virginia is because the American people have decided to turn the page for a new chapter in the American foreign policy and diplomacy..
Now Americans abroad (Europe, Africa, Asia etc.) are all for Barack Obama results indicate; He won in off-the continental USA…In Alaska, Hawaii and in the US territories of Virgin Islands and in Guam. I would like to thank my friends from Charlotte and Raleigh who made my trip easier and pleasant. Thanks to the Lubamba family for their hospitality… And with a little bit more of these moments of challenge like the North Carolina’s episode, we won’t just win an election but will transform this country.
I’m Franklin Katunda, An Obama Surrogate.
What Jeremiah Wright REALLY said behind the words "God damn America," and I have to agree:
In my own words: "I hate to say it, but being in MY position in this nation, I trust absolutely nothing the American government says or does; and I certainly don't believe their statements about "democracy" and "protecting this nation" or "preserving its rights." But, given the circumstances under which I have lived in America, I would not.
It would be insanity of the worst kind for me to fall for that kind of "super-hype" knowing what I have been through and what I've seen others go through in this nation; and because I've seen what's behind the lies and cover-ups that this nation uses to justify its various mental illnesses when it comes to global human rights.
It uses the efforts of world peace and human rights organizations to claim its record on "helping others," but those grassroots and privatized efforts are a blanket for America to hide under when someone questions their record on human rights and the sanctity of human life, which has been a nasty and despicable thing from the inception of this nation. America is truly the Mafia Gangbangers of the World, and the current candidates, Hillary Clinton and John McCain, are being backed, financed, and have certain ties to those mob connections even as we type these postings.
To go to war with innocent people and at the expense of people whom they are simply trying to divide and conquer to prove their world dominance, and to kill them in order to attain the homeland resources and wealth of others in order to turn them into slaves and "minions" in their own nation just to feed America's greed machine is not something endorsed by the God of the Bible, and it shouldn't be backed up and supported by human beings either. It is filthy and despicable and hopefully will be short-lived.
I look forward to the Lord's Day, when everyone will know Who is really in charge of all of this --and that, too. I may not live to see it, but that day will come."
Why America should have paid attention to Jeremiah Wright before it resorted to calling him a "racist" for speaking out AGAINST racism and global internationalized bigotry and hatred against others. His words were spoken from a palce of hurt and pain, not pride and prejudice. He was totally misunderstood, whereas John Hagee, McCain's "preacher endorser," has out and out come out and said there are no good people in the world except rich American whites. He has spoken out about blacks, jews, gays, women, and anyone and everyone else that does not represent him or his interests--he called his ex-wife that he left for a younger model a *c_nt* for God's sake. Yet McCain, the bad attitude phony war hero, has yet to renounce Hagee and return his money or to refuse to sanction his support.
Bottom Line:
On the one hand, you have two candidates (McCain and Clinton) who are backed by the Mob and have a string of shadowy deaths littering and strewn across their pathway to the White House; and on the other, you have one 'nearly' squeaky clean candidate who truly has nothing to hide and no reason whatsoever to run for president except that he wants what's best for ALL Americans instead of a privileged few, and a man who has done nothing more than run a gentleman's campaign to prove it (he even encouraged Hillary to stay in the race and capitalized on some of the finer points of the race she has run in this election year-calling her a "friend" and a "very intelligent and strong woman," even though she insisted on bringing out the "race" card and calling the man everything BUT a child of God, when that's truly all he is; and has now resorted to wishing him dead in order for her to win, by ANY means necessary).
She does this because she knows she's too old to try it again ever in her life; but I think other women who are better than Hillary will come along and run one day, and it's going to take Obama to open that door for upstanding REAL AMERICAN women, ones without ties to the Mafia, to run.
Thus saith the Lord:
"Choose. For if you choose the wrong candidate, knowing what you know about them, then America will have chosen the hell and havoc and destruction that will come upon it in the years to come. Life or death. Prosperity or hell. Choose destruction, or choose peace. It's up to you, My children."
Choose ye this day whom you will serve, but as for me and "my" house, we will serve the Lord. Pitch in. Help Clean Up America for everyone and not just a privileged few.
Glenn Beck – CNN Headline News—My Comments 5/5/08
Rev. Wright is not a candidate for the Presidency! I would much rather hear about issues that effect our country today. I would like to hear from someone in the GSA, the DOD, or Homeland Security --- someone that actually has a role to play in government right now. I would like to know what's on the table for them and what is being done about problems within their areas of responsibility. If you want to make someone a superstar, I volunteer my son who is a graduate of Northwestern University 9a Theatre major) and who has been working for quite some time to get one tenth of the air time and publicity that you media folks have given Rev. Wright. So, if you really want to present relevant programming for your audiences, get someone from one of the three departments mentioned above. If your sole purpose is to entertain, call me and I will give you the contact information for my son, Marcos Luis -- he can provide a wide range of entertainment possibilities for your show. Or, you can go to his self-named dotcom website. Thank you.
One of the things we'll learn from the exit polls in North Carolina and Indiana tomorrow is the answer to the all-important question: Do voters really care about the pronouncements of Barack Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright?
A related question, posed by E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post, asks: Do white right-wing preachers have it easier than black left-wing preachers? I think Dionne is correct in his assertion that Jeremiah Wright and pastors from white churches such as John McCain's friend John Hagee as well as fear-mongers like Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell should be judged by the same standards as Reverend Wright.
I suspect that when we get into the general election that Senator McCain's association with Hagee will get a lot more attention that it's getting right now. Particularly when McCain begins to distance himself from Hagee's "foreign policy as eschatology" approach to Middle East peace.
On the other hand, dwelling on what either Wright or Hagee thinks about anything while I'm paying $3.50 a gallon for gas and Americans are still dying in Iraq is inconsequential to anything that really matters to ME right now.
I've been watching the story of the story of Jeremiah Wright. Although Pastor Wright is an intelligent man, not to mention creative, nothing he said this week, either to the NAACP or the National Press Club, is as disturbing to me as the media coverage the entire matter has garnered. It can be unbelievably painful to watch the American media pick over the carcass of this story. They strive to reanimate it, even as they say that there is no way Hillary Clinton can win the nomination.
I'm not a person of faith. I never have been. I doubt I ever will be. But I wanted to tell Senator Obama, "You are a man of faith. Now have faith in yourself."
Dear Senator Obama,
I am a fan of yours and I voted for you during my states primaries. I will vote for you in November also, but I have a problem with the way you handled the Jeremiah Wright issue. Pastor Wright's comment were taken out of context and used to stire up some false problems. I don't believe you should have denounced his comments and release all ties with him. Where i'm from we stand behind our people, and I thank you should have taken up for Rev. Wright. If the media would have played the whole sermon then their wouldn't be such a controversy in the first place because if you listen to the whole sermon, (Which I did before I made judgements) you would have clearly understand the context of Rev. Wrights comments. I know you had to do what you did because most Americans following the race will not seek out the whole sermon as I did and they won't ever understand the whole sermon if they don't here it. I was worried at first because you were backed into a corner and you folded on this issue, but I still continue to support you because I understand what you had to do. Also being from New York, I could never vote for Hillary Clinton after she stole the New York senate seat. She never lived a day in New York but decided to run where she saw a weak race, and used her husbands popularity to win the seat. If she would have ran for the New York Senate seat without her husbands popularity she would have been shut out ridiculously. Also Bill Clinton's move into Harlem is leading to the gentrification of the African American people. What was once a bustling well known black community now is filled with Donald Trump condos, and the emergence of caucasians into our communties. Harlem is no longer what it once was. So keep the fight alive Senator Obama, but next time do what's right not what the media thinks you should do.
Oliver
This is my first blog here. A discussion on Rev. Jeremiah Wright is the last thing future president Obama or his supportes want to see. However, I thought I should write - to be fair.
When I listen between the lines, Pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright appears to use too negative and false statements to drive home a point. The point that we need an introspection. After 9/11 I read somewhere - a small child asking "what did we do - so that these people hate us so much". Does America as a nation owe an official appology to Japan?. Something to think about. But it is unfortunate that the negativity he used to drive these points are wrong and hurts too much. May be if he didnt use such words he may not be heard so much. Its even more unfortunate that this is affecting our campagn.
Thinking aloud, I was hoping if we could pool up and create a fund to give the Rev. a holiday until November somewere in Thailand - or set him up for six month cruise? Just kidding....
The only aspect about this whole Reverend Jeremiah Wright mess that is worth considering is that it exposes a two-fold problem. First, the American media has a habit of highlighting the most inflammatory language of any black public figure. Most of the time the language is taken out of context. That first clip of Wright’s sermon was just that: a clip. Therefore, he appeared as a raving lunatic precisely because most folks only witnessed about 30 seconds out of his sermon. He also appeared as a raving lunatic because so many white folks, well-meaning or not, know virtually nothing about black people, say nothing of what goes on in black churches. Wright has since been interviewed by CNN and by Bill Moyers for PBS. His recent comments at the National Press Club and NAACP, however, leave something to be desired. While the media has not bothered to investigate the horrible behavior of ministers affiliated with other persons running for president—an action that smacks of racism and bias—it is important to understand that Wright himself has recently invited more unnecessary scrutiny. Second, he has also brought to public attention the often unhealthy relationship many black folks have with their clergy.
Black clergymen and women have historically served as those individuals that prevented or stunted the demoralization that so many black folks suffered during the worst period of the Jim Crow era and beyond. If you were planning to travel, you called on your pastor. Your pastor then called another pastor, who found a place for you to lay your head as you travelled across the country. They did this to keep black folks from having to search for a hotel that would accept them in an era when it was common to see a sign that read: “Whites Only.” Historically, black ministers have served their flocks well.
Yet, today many black ministers yield far too much power over their congregations. Black congregants often do not raise the kinds of questions that need to be raised about church finances, official statements, and personal behavior. Too often black congregants serve their pastor without the pastor serving the flock. More than a few black ministers enjoy rock-star status among the faithful without doing too much to help the faithful. Reverend Wright’s statements appear to come from a man whose ego has grown to such a degree that he cannot be silent even when it would be prudent for him to do so. He seems to be saying that Obama does not have the right to disagree with him.
To be fair, Jeremiah Wright has received an unnecessary and unprecedented degree of media attention. He has the right to defend himself and he has done so splendidly. Yet the unnecessary and unprovoked statements he made over the last days in April, however, do not speak well of a man with his considerable academic and professional credentials. He made the mistake of assuming that he could and should speak for “the black church” in its entirety. Neither he nor anyone can do so. There is no official spokesperson—nor should there be—for the black church or even the black community. His self-aggrandizing statements and appearances suggest a man whose ego has overruled his better judgment. Even worse, it suggests a minister caught up in his own hype rather than one who wishes to see a young man who has long admired him win the nomination for president.
I am often hard on black ministers precisely because I have witnessed hundreds of them take advantage of black folks; take payouts from politicians who always show up at church near election time. I have seen them call off pickets and boycotts when the company they planned to boycott gave one of their friends a seat on the board. Too many black ministers live in luxury at the expense of poor black parishioners whose nickels and dimes keep food on Rev’s table and $1000 suits in his closet. Even worse, they make those good ministers look bad—I am talking about those clergymen and women who get up in the middle of the night to go see about one of their flock; who work for little pay; who drive an economy car; who teach their parishioners how to save money rather than spend it!!
Press on, Obama!!
